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UPDATE ON THE LAST PAGE. OOC: So much work undone so quickly...
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Apr 20, 2014 06:22
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 As a republican Malcontent and a proud supporter of our empress and her line, I can only say: some of you wanted this man in power. He has lost maybe a full NewMars fucked around with this message at 06:33 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 06:28
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monster on a stick posted:OOC: so what happens now that you are independent? We weren't part of the independence faction, so as of the end of this update we're still part of the Byzantine Empire. We're in the faction for putting ourselves back on the throne. The only Italian member of the independence faction was the Doux of Lombardy, so bye-bye Lombards, I guess.
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Apr 20, 2014 06:28
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Rejected Fate posted:
Yes, I am quite sure Komitas the Wicked is an admirable and upstanding example of a proper Roman Emperor. And certainly not a puppet of a Doux. All this lost territory... ugh, back to the drawing board on Battle Plans... (OOC: drat, what drove it to that nickname? Possession? Kinslayer? Was his Piety THAT bad?)
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Apr 20, 2014 06:39
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StrifeHira posted:Yes, I am quite sure Komitas the Wicked is an admirable and upstanding example of a proper Roman Emperor. And certainly not a puppet of a Doux. More like Komitas the Wicked Cool 
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Apr 20, 2014 06:40
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 I almost feel sorry those idiots that supported Branas.
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Apr 20, 2014 06:53
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  Look at this! Komitas has defeated the great heathen empires of Africa and spared our Empire endless civil war! The rebel doukes can be easily reconquered! Russia is gone, but I say good riddance: it was a poor land filled with presumptuous and tyrannical barbarians, and we have better lands to conquer. Komitas and Helias know what they are doing, and have me and every member of the True Senate to guide them. A new Golden Age is about to dawn! As for your pretender? She has seen the light, and become a proper Roman. Good for her, though I also hear nothing else about her is worth any discussion. Her "faction" comes from her youth: in the years of mediocrity ahead for her, she will see the light and become a dutiful administrator. She doesn't have the skill to do anything else.
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Apr 20, 2014 06:58
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(OOC: How did that insane looking mercenary/pope/other people (Chief of Tavastians!?) dog-pile of Belgorod occur? Is it something unique to CK2+? Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought mercenaries could band together like that)
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Apr 20, 2014 07:00
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At least the girl they supported decided to stop being russian. That's what pains me the most, all the lost culture buildings when we got a russian inheretance.
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Apr 20, 2014 07:01
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Lord Cyrahzax posted:
Yes, because we all know that Ceasar brought upon a great golden age to the republic the very day he lost the entirety of Gaul! Now, Trajan, he must truly be the worst emperor, correct? After all, his conquests of Dacia and Persia are undoubtably days that lives in infamy! I am also sure that the empire couldn't be better financially, just having lost all of it's traders and the single largest trade network in the world: the varangian river routes from the baltic to the black sea. A route, I remind you senators, that carries goods all the way from Iceland to Persia. NewMars fucked around with this message at 07:39 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 07:02
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I love how the 'idiot' has better stats than your precious Yaroslavovich. Detached Priest indeed.
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Apr 20, 2014 08:06
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Hey, as long as she doesn't lose all of the empire, technically, she'll have done better then he has.
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Apr 20, 2014 08:19
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She has a player controlling her. Branas has to make do with the AI and a plot that frames him as an idiot. If we were instead doing our best as Branas history would have been completely different. Readingaccount fucked around with this message at 08:23 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 08:20
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Yes, I have to admit that we probably would have done better with him. Ah, well, hindsight.
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Apr 20, 2014 08:24
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Lord Cyrahzax posted:
Here, I think you missplaced your "proper" banner -  You have lost all touch with reality, and it pains me to tink that my family ever held up Unitas' colors. A new golden age is indeed about to dawn-- when we storm Constantinople and throw your "true Senate" to the wolves. On the bright side, maybe it won't even come to a fight-- your beloved Komitas seems the type to cave to demands. Adept Nightingale fucked around with this message at 09:37 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 09:31
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This must be the blackest day in my families line, I sit around and wait for the malcontents to finish their squabbling so I can get back to a senators duty and tell the empire what to conquer and where to enrich the people, bless every single one of our citizens. Yes we've lost ground, so what? We've lost control of the empire! Ground is just a line on a map, imperial control is a whole slew of systems that uphold imperial stability, once that is lost, murdering douxes and putting people back in their place is hard work. What do senators have to their name? A position? Some gold? A villa? My gladiator and Legion resurgence school might give me the most power through simple smalltime extortion, but I have no armies none of you do. So you cling to one puppet or the other while civil war leaves our gates open to our enemies. One day I hope there will be one Emperor, one seat of power! Not the myriad of pretenders hiding in their theme's lurking till one day they burst from the woodwork with their friends to overthrow the empire, for what? The chance to be Emperor? Bah, we're all just servants of our destiny and office, we must cater to the plebs, we must create order from chaos, because if we do not what is there? This! This is there, chaos and strife. Not all is gloomy though senators, I've been tending to my farms for some time now and I find the simple pursuits calming the soul. Lets hope we can get back to governing someday.
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Apr 20, 2014 10:58
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Was too busy to vote, but it didn't matter, because I'm loyal to the Empire, not who sits on the throne.
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Apr 20, 2014 11:18
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Well, if you were loyal to the empire, then you'd want to see who you feel is most competent running it, right? Saying that you are loyal to the empire as an excuse is just that: an excuse to be apathetic while the world turns around you. Or an excuse to do whatever the hell you want while willfully ignoring imperial edicts and supervision, of course.
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Apr 20, 2014 11:36
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NewMars posted:
Nah, people come and go, as long as the Empire stands I'm fine. Besides, last time the Black Chamber picked a side we got killed for no reason.
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Apr 20, 2014 11:51
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So, the latter, then?
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Apr 20, 2014 12:42
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NewMars posted:
Going by my track record whatever I could've picked probably would've gotten the entire senate screwed somehow. 
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Apr 20, 2014 13:01
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Civil war is a great excuse to be apathetic, considering those who felt politically mobile during the rise of Augustus Ceasar didn't last very long, yet those who waited out the storm of tyrants didst live to see a new Rome and aid in it's new rise to power, maybe not as a republic but as a Rome none the less. Hence I urge Senators to value their lives and their neutrality in times of internal conflict that's spiraled out of control. Because eventually one man will win, and he will value those who opposed him less than those who "let" the charades go it's own way. I value your concern for integrity senator, but this is no foreign horde threatening to overrun the empire that wants to end our way of life, no this is failure of the empires internal structure at work. And till order is restored we cannot actively dictate which way the wind blows.
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Apr 20, 2014 13:06
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You are correct, I feel. Frankly, I'm just disheartened and outraged by the way things have gone. Maybe it is best just to watch in times like these. Better that then dead.
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Apr 20, 2014 13:53
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 I don't suppose we're able to change sides at this point, eh? My thinking was that supporting the incumbent would spare our empire the ravages of another bloody civil war and coup and the inevitable loss of territory to predatory neighbors (as we saw in the last war with Rome and the merchant republics), but Branas went and destroyed half the empire with a stroke of the pen. The same thing I was worried would happen if the Yaroslavovich girl got too strong happened anyway, without even giving Rome's proud soldiers a chance to fight for their empire. If that girl has even a drop of her father's blood in her veins she wouldn't have allowed this outrage. Ah, well, if I'm to lose my head for mistakenly supporting a man I thought had some backbone then so be it. May the girl have more success repelling this tyrant and usurper than Pompey did against his.
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Apr 20, 2014 15:59
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I will lobby for every Old Roman who found himself on the wrong side of the fence in this conflict, may civil war never tear the bonds between Patrician families of the Empire. The Neutralists may not be in the highest standing after the rift has been mended but we won't be powerless either, make sure you do not abandon your posts and fall to cowardice your brothers both center and in opposition count on you to save them for making the wrong decision. Remember that every Old Roman dead is a legacy destroyed that will never be replaced, we must steward our number. We owe this to Valeria and the Komenos bloodline.
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Apr 20, 2014 16:07
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I leave the empire for just a few years, and we lose THAT much territory? Well, perhaps that group of people I saw over in Thrake had the right idea...
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Apr 20, 2014 17:07
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Samuel posted:
Yeah, maximum reactionary!
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Apr 20, 2014 17:26
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Adept Nightingale posted:Here, I think you missplaced your "proper" banner - Ha ha ha. Thanks, your dad and I were such good friends! *This Senator smells overbearingly of cheap Greek wine.* How did, did it come to this? I know how! That Russian fucker! That Ts- ugh, barbarian mockery of Caeasr! Him and the most awful last Komnenos bitch ruined everything! I remember! I remember because I paid a man to get me his boot, out of that wonderful inn. I keep it on a Roman banner, to remind me, to tell me every day that barbarians can always come. Always get you. I keep New Senate flags next to it. That fucker. And now, now you...want his stupid daughter on the throne? You wants nazes to lord over us? Never! Russia is cast out! Unworthy! Un-Roman! And, and you want it after seeing a jihad broken? Those heathen merchants humbled? You want to kill Rome's armies for that stupid strumpet? Traitors! Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 17:34
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This useless try-hard once and future Mary Sue Empress will probably win, with more than half the Senate backing her, thus further weakening the throne to get a weaker claimant there, where the Senate could instead have worked to wrestle the Douxes for control of the more competent Branas avoiding this total disaster of rampant secession. I guess it's to thank her Daddy and the Yaroslavovich for everything they've done for the Roman Empire, from dying for nothing against the Mongols to murdering half the Senate and then the most unforgivable of all, losing the throne to a usurper. WeaponGradeSadness posted:
Her father is the one who started this, and Branas folded to the Douxes because the Senate withdrew its support, leaving him a powerless (= AI-controlled) Emperor. Readingaccount fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Apr 21, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 17:40
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Readingaccount posted:She has a player controlling her. Branas has to make do with the AI and a plot that frames him as an idiot. I think it's for the best that we begin to fracture more as move closer to EU4.
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Apr 20, 2014 18:07
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Readingaccount posted:Her father is the one who started this, and Branas folded to the Douxes because the Senate withdrew its support, leaving him a powerless (= AI-controlled) Emperor. The vote had nothing to do with which character we'd end up playing as.
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Apr 20, 2014 18:18
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Who is this Mary Sue you speak of? Surely there are no Scottish Papist infiltrators within our midst!
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Apr 20, 2014 19:35
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  I have returned from my pilgrimage and sabbatical on Mount Athos. My lineage stands with the True Basilissa, and we stand ready to raise our forces behind her banner at a word. Though rebellion was the sin by which even angels fell, it is preferable to the misrule of the buffoon who has shattered Rome and allowed the Papists to regain a seat of the Pentarchy. Furthermore, the heretic pope must be destroyed.
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Apr 20, 2014 20:13
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AJ_Impy posted:
The True Basilissa? Imbecile. The True Basileus, as a man of God should know, is whomever He chooses, and do you know where His choice sits? On the throne! You think rebellion is preferable to the rule of a "buffoon"? Maybe, depending on the claimant. Even you must realize, though, that Dobrava is not that claimant. She is not prepared even to rule Tuscany, much less the Empire! What are skills? What qualifies her to rule over us all? Almost glib, probably read the Bible through once, owns a sword? Please listen: she is not worth it. She is not worth the thousands of lives it would cost to put her on the throne. Many of you criticize Komitas for being a puppet, but Dobrava is just as much of one, and to a far worse master: the so-called Queen of Sicily, a usurper, a pretender, and not even a Roman! You cannot deliver the Empire to her. You cannot slaughter our soldiers so that another foreign tyrant can rule over us. Please, submit. She isn't worth it. Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 20:52 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 20:47
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If we submit, your second coming of Emperor Commodus will have ensured there's no empire left. Giving into the secessionist doukes was the absolute final straw.
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Apr 20, 2014 21:24
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Adept Nightingale posted:
You fool. We just fought a major war with the Egyptian powers! Would it have been better if he fought and lost? Not every war can be won, and now those rebels are disunited and weak, ready to be reincorporated at our pleasure. And if you think the permanent conquest of Russia was feasible, you are mad. What does it matter? How could your Russian pig have done any better? Lord Cyrahzax fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Apr 20, 2014 |
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Apr 20, 2014 21:36
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Somewhere in Greece... A generation ago, a usurper dynasty claimed the throne of Alexios. Most of the senate rushed to ingratiate themselves to their new Russian overlord, claiming that despite his strange tongue and strange name, the blood of the Komnenoi flowing through his veins would be enough to establish his rule. There were, however, a few of us who knew better. While others dishonored their ancestors by abandoning their political allegiances for his bastardized "New" Senate, some of us chose to stand apart and leave the senate entirely. A year later, our new "Tsar" was dead and we were vindicated. When Branas seized the throne, many rejoiced and believed that he would restore Rome's tarnished glory. "Is he not a true Greek?" they said. "Is his family not noble and distinguished?" they said. "But he is not a Komnenos," we said. "He'll lead us to disaster," we said. Once again, we were right and they were wrong. Now the hapless daughter of the first usurper, the same weak girl who abandoned Constantinople to Baras in the first place, seeks to restore "her" throne. Will she win? Perhaps, but it does not matter. Whoever wins, we will still be burdened with an illegitimate ruler, a weakened state, and a dysfunctional senate. So I say to you all, no more! The only dynasty worthy of the purple is the House of Komnenos. If we wish to return to greatness we must return to the dynasty that made us great. It is time we stepped from the shadows and fought for a cause we all know to be right! It is time the sons of Alexios ruled again! Raise your glasses high comrades, for tonight we drink to the Komnenian Restoration!
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Apr 21, 2014 01:33
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PART TWENTY-NINE: Da Qin (1368-1370) THE VOYAGES OF MU ZHANHAI Mu Zhanhai was a Hui Chinese writer who, like many other Chinese merchants, traders, adventurers, and diplomats, journeyed to the far end of the Silk Road following events such as the voyages of the Byzantine-Venetian merchant Markos Polo, the outbreak of the Red Turban Rebellion against the Yuan dynasty, and the efforts by Tsar Yaroslav's New Senate to make more extensive contact between the scholars of Kiev-Byzantium and the Far East. Over 1200 years ago, the Han dynasty sent Gan Ying westwards as an envoy to the Roman Empire. The Parthians, keen to keep on skimming money off both sides of the Silk Road Trade, stopped him from actually making it to Rome itself. This didn't stop him from writing down his impressions of the Romans in the Hou Hanshu: Gan Ying posted:The seat of government is more than a hundred li around. In this city are five palaces each ten li from the other. Moreover, in the rooms of the palace the pillars and the tableware are really made of crystal. The king goes each day to one of the palaces to deal with business. After five days, he has visited all of them. A porter with a sack has the job of always following the royal carriage. When somebody wants to discuss something with the king, he throws a note in the sack. When the king arrives at the palace, he opens the bag, examines the contents, and judges if the plaintiff is right or wrong. Now, of course, we have many fine histories of the Roman Empire available in Arabic, and so we can confidently say that the vast majority of this was total nonsense. How strange that I, 1200 years later, probably have a better sense of the Roman Empire of antiquity than Gan Ying, who walked the earth at the same time as Nerva and Trajan I! And yet, in spite of how obviously incorrect many of his facts are, and in spite of how radically altered the Roman Empire of more recent times is from the one Gan Ying heard tales of, sitting in some Parthian magnate's manse in old Persia, this passage has always struck me. Forget all the fanciful details of Roman emperors collecting grievances from their subjects in a sack, living in crystal palaces, and being unceremoniously sacked with no ill-will if disaster should befall the empire. (Especially forget that last one.) Think instead about the end of his description. Rome is like China, he says. Da Qin. Great China. Two great empires at each terminus of the Silk Road, mirror images of civilization and power. Bookends of the world. Rome and China have each had their rises and falls, their fortunes and vicisitudes, but I had heard tales of the Romans holding off the irresistible advance of the Mongols even as China was laid low by the false Yuan. Now that we are free from the Mongols, perhaps our western counterparts would have much to teach us! And so, I'll admit that this romantic idea held some sway in my mind up until the moment I arrived in Constantinople and presented my letter of introduction to Tsar Yaroslav of Kiev-Byzantium, whereupon I was immediately clapped in irons and sent to the dungeon. After several years (in which I taught myself a decent amount of Greek and read some of the more recent histories in that language— strangely, they all seem to end after the reign of the Empress Valeria II) I was finally freed from my (admittedly quite commodious) confinement by a senator sympathetic to the deposed Yaroslavoviches, and bundled off to the city of Florence to join the court of the "true empress." My reception in Florence was much warmer. A scholar of that city, Francesco Petrarca, was especially keen to get to know me, but, alas! He knew no Greek, and I had yet to master Latin! He gave me a copy of the collection of Cicero's letters he'd rediscovered; perhaps I'd be able to read them, one day. In general, though, the court of Duchess Dobrava was distracted by a complicated enterprise. The doukessa, apparently, did not accept her demotion, and was quite angry about it.  Nor did Komitas Branas take any more kindly to the prospect of unceremonious rejection in the face of unexpected calamities.   Unfortunately for the unlucky Komitas, it seems that the officials responsible for governing the provinces of the empire had little faith in him, and many rallied to Dobrava's cause— scarcely a decade after they'd helped eject her in the first place! The Queen of Sicily, Basillike of Chios— apparently Dobrava's mentor and protect in the years of her exile— led all of Roman Italy in support of her former ward:  Most of the Greek heartland of the empire and the Balkans remained loyal to Branas, however.  Further east, Anatolia was divided amongst a riot of petty leaders of different loyalties— mostly for Dobrava, although Doux Helias II of Paphlagonia continued to support the man he'd placed on the throne.   Initially, loyalist forces were dominant in the vital region around the imperial capital.  Then, the ships carrying Basillike's Sicilian armies arrived at the Bosphorous strait, and the emperor's advantage melted away immediately.  Because, make no mistake— this was a war fought and won by Basillike of Sicily. Dobrava's personal forces did participate in efforts to take the Adriatic coast, but she had only 3,286 soldiers to her name— she could not afford the expense of raising the levies she possessed in addition to her personal retinue.  These efforts meant very little, however. It was the fighting around the capital that proved decisive.  It was Basillike of Sicily who placed Dobrava back on her throne.  It was Basillike who was the true power behind the throne.  The importance of Italy to the empire was made vividly clear by the banner Empress Dobrava used to represent herself. With Kiev no longer part of the empire, the combined banner of Kiev-Byzantium her father had devised would clearly be inappropriate. Rather than continuing to use Branas' cross or restoring the Old Roman chi rho and laurel wreath of the Komnenoi, she replaced the arms of Kiev in her father's banner with those of Tuscany. Let it not be said that Dobrava didn't know where her supporters were.  Constaninople was in a shambles when I arrived, as it had endured a lengthy siege by Sicilian forces in Dobrava and Basillike's war for the throne, and many of the die-hard supporters of Komitas and Helias— including the fanatical senators of the so-called "Unitas" faction-- had carried off many of the city's treasures into exile. This notwithstanding, everyone around the empress and her queen assured me that all was well, the reign of Komitas the Wicked just a momentary lapse in the true Roman Empire's lineage, and now I would see how things truly are. I was struck, however, by the fact that Helias Altuntekin, the puppet-master of Komitas, was still serving as doux of the theme of Paphlagonia.  For that matter, Komitas the Wicked himself still held the themes he had given himself as emperor!  Indeed, Helias was even plotting to place Komitas back on the throne! Although, understandably, this plot proved somewhat unpopular.  This was puzzling to me. Weren't the doukes officers of the empire? Didn't they serve at the pleasure of the Empress? But the doukes, it seems, exacted a high price for their cooperation in Dobrava's bid for the throne.  The kindly empress was inclined to clemency as a general policy. Basillike, to the tell the truth, was similarly disposed to mercy. Yet Basillike decided that, without the ability to simply revoke the themes of the conspirators, there was only one way to to make sure Komitas never reclaimed his throne.   The other prisoners— some of whom had been languishing in the dungeons since the time of the Komnenoi-- were allowed to ransome themselves out of custody. I fear, however, that Dobrava was more motivated by the acute shortage of gold in her treasure than pure generosity.  In 1369, Dobrava's second son was born— and, owing to the strange Roman succession laws— he became heir to the empire over his elder brother.  Dobrava's father, I am told, often boasted that the house of Yaroslavl was the heir to the lines of Komnenos and Rurikovich. The claim to the legacy of the Komnenoi became more important to Dobrava as she was became involved in imperial politics and embraced (at least publicly) Greek culture. But she still remembered her roots, and named her son Rurik in honor of the ancestor her father was so proud of.  With her son born, Komitas dead, and the throne-- apparently-- secure, Dobrava announced a feast in which all of the great men and women of the empire (including Helias!) would be feted by the restored empress. I was honored by being allowed to attend, so I could write about the glories of the reunified empire.  It was a dreadfully uncivilized affair. Churchmen drank to excess...  The Grandmaster of the Valerian Order killed a man in a blood feud.  The Empress ignored most of her guests, spending the entire night talking only to Basillike...  The Romans themselves, on the other hand, were quite pleased with themselves, considering the event the highlight of their year.  The Empress left Constantinople the next day, intending to revive the Komnenos tradition of making a pilgrimage to Antioch.  The Antioch of present times differs somewhat from the one in the days of Valeria the Apostle, however.  Dobrava's husband, the English prince Gerald de Conteville, was appointed regent, and I spent the next months in his mild company.  When the Empress returned from Antioch, she was in a foul mood. She wouldn't talk to anyone except Basillike about what happened, but I gather she was not pleased with whatever it was she found in the city of the apostles.   This, then, was Rome, this was Da Qin. It was not without its charms— Florence was beautiful, Anatolia has a rugged dignity, the splendors of Constantinople have not entirely dimmed, even after the ravages of civil war and destruction or secession of the empire's client trade republics have taken their toll. There is a flowering of culture, a general revival of interest in their peoples' history beginning to take root in the great urban centers of Italy, Greece, and Anatolia. And many of the people I met were quite warm and welcoming. They were fascinated by me and my country, eager to learn everything they could about the ways of the Far East. They were respectful of my Sunni faith, and even seemed somewhat impressed that Islam had taken root amongst the Hui in so far-off a place as China. Curiously, many of the Romans I went took pains to warn me that although they themselves were perfectly enlightened and tolerant of Muslims, those other Romans might not... But, ultimately, there is a certain uncertainty that hangs in the air. The question that dominates their politics is, ultimately, the same one I am considering as I write this. What is the Roman Empire? Who are the Romans? Are they Greeks? Italians? Turks? A union of the Orthodox peoples, or a secular state ruling over a hugely diverse population of many faiths? Are the Russians of Kiev Romans? Was the Sultanate of Rum Roman? Are the survivors of the sack of the city of Rome still Roman? Is this the continuation of the empire of Augustus, Constantine, and Justinian, or is it a new Byzantine state? While, on the other side of the world, all of China has united behind Zhu Yuanzhang with a singular purpose— liberty from the Mongols— the Romans drift without direction, not even truly sure who they are. Puppet-masters like Basillike and Helias pull the strings of children like Dobrava and Branas, the Senate argues about who gets to be a Roman while the crossed keys of the Papal State fly over the seven hills of Rome itself. Perhaps a few decades earlier, in the reigns of Valeria or Trajan II, things were different. But now, mightly Da Qin seemed wholly unequal to the task of defending the western terminus of the Silk Road. The Hongwu emperor, it seemed, agreed with me...  ...for, in the year the Romans reckon as 1370, the Hongwu Emperor's handpicked general of the Frontier Army of the Ming Empire, Chang Yuchun, arrived in the West...  World Map, 1390   Assassination Scorecard: Tsars Killed: 2 Badshahs Killed: 2 Sultans Killed: 7 Nosy Chancellors Killed: 2 Katepanos Killed: 1 Mad Bishops Killed: 1 Adventurers Killed: 1 Popes Killed: 2 Battle Scorecard Badshahs Killed: 1 Sultans Killed: 1 Katepanos Killed: 1 That guy who killed our genius heir: 1 Execution Scorecard Puppet Emperors Killed: 1 Big ups to rein005's Chinese Portraits mod, which made this update cooler looking than it would have been otherwise The selection of the Hou Hanshu Mu Zhanhai quotes was taken from John E. Hill's translation, which is helpfully lying around on the internet. A note on Senate sessions We're on the home stretch of CK2 right now, and I have a lot of momentum for just getting the last few updates written and finishing the game (one update after this one has already been played, and I just want to get right into playing the rest of the game after I finish that), so we're not going to have any Senate sessions. This is for entirely OOC reasons, so it's not Dobrava killing everyone or anything. However, the loyalty of the majority of the Senate has been noted, and, as I work on the EU4 conversion, the Senate will be called upon to vote on various facets of our government (the exact format of this kind of depends on what state the empire is in in 1444, natch). So, in lieu of any actual votes until then, I encourage everyone in the Senate to think about the questions Mu Zhanhai posed in his Voyages. Who are we? Are we Byzantines or Romans? Is there even a difference? What does it mean to be Roman?
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Apr 21, 2014 01:34
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 Steppes and Republics Curious a people from beyond the Steppes, they are here to destroy the Mongols, who says we cannot ally with them? I mean they must be honorable people correct?
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Apr 21, 2014 01:43
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 What IS a Roman? What is a Byzantine? I must confess when I travel to Kiev, to Rome, or even to Damascus I receive this question. And throughout the False Emperor and then the True Empresses' reigns I have had to give many answers. My ancestors clung to the idea of a Roman Empire ruled by one culture, where the Mediterranean and Aegean were their private saunas - an idea that they pursued with the Komenian Restoration. That idea has led us to many places. To Alexandria, towards an end to the schism that divided the two largest Christian churches. Towards crushing the vassals' many pithy rebellions and to nearly make the Black Sea our new pool. It is only with our last choice, between the True Empress and the False Emperor, that I have been force to reconcile my ancestor's wishes and reality. I submit to you, the Senate, as a member of the Pharonite Committee, that THIS one sentence states who we are: >To be a Roman is to swear loyalty to an idea, regardless of creed, blood, or standing. But what IS that idea, you may ask? Is it that we are an Empire of the Greek? But our nobles hail from all over Europe! The Armenians have accepted our rule for generations, and we did not force them from their homes. The Arabs that stayed found compassion from our churches and our people. The Lombards and Sicilians welcomed us back home. I must therefore conclude that the Empire is not an inherently Greek state. Then is that idea that we are Christian? That we are Orthodox? It is true that religion has been the backbone of our people for centuries. We were once the last bastion of Orthodox Christianity against a self-proclaimed 'Pope' and his Holy See. We protected Europe from the unruly Sultanate of Rum and the once-mighty Seljuk Empire. One by one, we whittled them down, restored Pentarch after Pentarch until Europe rose in rebellion against the 'Pope' and were freed from his grasp. And while we are ever threatened by his Landless Hordes, I look at where we rule. I look at the Muslims who have not revolted. The Miaphysites whose churches are down the street from my house wave at me happily. Even the Catholics - the Catholics - begrudgingly accept that their 'Pope' is no longer absolute. I conclude that the Empire is not an inherently Orthodox state. But if our Empire is not built on the idea of ethnic supremacy, or on that of religious supremacy, then what idea is there? I remind you of the Tri-Lingual Act. We are a people who have already accepted Arabic and Latin as scientific languages, along with Greek! We briefly considered Ukrainian and Russian during the short time we were Kiev-Byzantium! That Act by its very nature required us to accept scientists of all creeds and religions in pursuit of progress. Armenians, Turks, Jews, does it matter anymore? We are a state of many peoples, united as one. We are a state... of freedom. Freedom from instability, from slavery. Freedom from persecution by douxes, neighbors, or even tyrants. So what is a Roman? A Roman is a citizen. A citizen of what? The Byzantine Empire. The dream of a Roman Empire died under its own weight, under the axes of barbarians. Byzantium has stood the test of time. I SUBMIT THEREFORE, THAT IN THE YEARS TO COME THAT WE: >First, acclimate the citizens of many nations to abandon the idea of their own states. To put forth the idea of one strong state, that Byzantium IS, HAS, and ALWAYS SHALL BE. >Second, that Byzantium has always been a nation of explorers and frontiersmen. We civilized Gaul, for Christsakes! If the Chinese are to our East, then what lies West? Do we still accept what the Catholics proclaim, that there's nothing? Or are we men of science, and venture forth? >Third, that the Landless Hordes of the Pope are an existential secular threat. Such a large army could easily invade any realm of his arbitrary choosing. He must be stopped by any means necessary, even by.... Black means. >And finally, Byzantium IS NOT Rome. We cannot rule the world, and even if we wanted to the technologies of today could not sustain such a grasp. If we want to rule the world, let us do as our forefathers did. Explore, conquer, civilize. I am Senator AdventFalls, scion of the Old Romans, member of the Phanariote Committee. WHAT SAY YOU? AdventFalls fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Apr 21, 2014 |
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Apr 21, 2014 02:09
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